Jon and Sandra Steele were regular Las Vegas fixtures in the 1950s. They fell in love and married in the 1930s and continued to partner together – not just for life but also as performers. They were a brilliant vocal duo. In this picture, Sondra helps fix her husband’s bow tie in their green room before a performance at the El Rancho in Vegas.
The couple skyrocketed to fame in 1948 after their rendition of “My Happiness” reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. The song earned them the Cash Box award for Most Popular Jukebox Record and continued to dominate the charts for 30 weeks after. Jon passed away in 1987 while Sondra died in 1998.
The Dream Girl
Jayne Mansfield was a hugely iconic sex symbol in the 1950s and early 1960s. Everyone wanted to be her. She shot to fame after a minor part in the CBS show "Lux Video Theatre." Here, the actor poses by one of her absolute favorite spots in Las Vegas - the Dunes Hotel poolside in 1955.
Mansfield wasn’t just an actor and the very personification of a Hollywood blond bombshell. She was a singer and Playboy Playmate too. Mansfield more than made her mark in the cutthroat entertainment industry. But fans today might not know Mansfield as well as her famous daughter – actor Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner
After a successful career during the 30s and early 40s, Frank Sinatra hit a major slump. It was both Vegas and winning an Oscar for his performance in "From Here to Eternity" that turned his career around. It was also the time he had his very fiery and publicized marriage with actress Ava Gardner.
The two began dating while Sinatra was still legally married to his wife Nancy, even though they had been on and off for a while. Sinatra and Gardner’s fights were legendary, and they kissed and made up just as loudly. Here's the couple at the opening of his club in 1951.
Express Weddings
Las Vegas has been the “quickie” wedding capital since the ‘50s, and the story behind how it got that name goes back even further. The city had always been lax about wedding requirements since the early 1900s. Unlike other states, Nevada didn’t need blood tests to prevent couples from marrying while inebriated – which is why everyone flocked here to get married.
But express weddings became a thing only in the 1930s when the state passed bills shortening the time needed before you could file for divorce. By the 1950s, the Vegas wedding industry was booming. Here we have a couple kissing after a Vegas wedding, with an official already handing over their easily-acquired marriage license.
Liberace and Elvis Presley Jamming
Elvis Presley and Liberace couldn’t seem more different on the surface at least. Liberace had been around the scene for years. A flamboyant pianist, everyone's (even your grandma's) favorite. And then you had Elvis Presley. Dangerously handsome. A rock n' roll artist with hips that mean business. He's the kind that could whisk your teenage daughter away into the night.
But the two artists had much more in common than one might think. Liberace and Elvis Presley were mutual fans of each other. They first met when Liberace went to see the king of Rock and Roll perform. Presley then got the opportunity to go see Liberace's act at the Riviera. The two reunited with a backstage jam in 1956. Many say they shared a mystical connection beyond their artistry.